Issue Archive

The entire shape of the wing can be changed by activating two small motors that apply a twisting pressure to each wingtip. (Photo: Kenneth Cheung/NASA) A new morphing wing architecture could greatly simplify the manufacturing process and reduce fuel consumption of aircraft by improving the wing’s aerodynamics, as well as improving its agility. The wing consists of a system of tiny, lightweight subunits that could be assembled by a team of small, specialized robots, and ultimately could be used to build the entire airframe. The wing would be covered by a “skin” made of overlapping pieces that might resemble scales or feathers.

Detailing the molecular makeup of materials – from solar cells to organic LEDs and transistors to medically important proteins – is not always a crystal-clear process. To understand how materials work at these microscopic scales and to better design materials to improve their function, it's necessary to know not only about their composition but also their molecular arrangement and microscopic imperfections.

Removing plaque from clogged arteries is a common procedure that can save and improve lives. This treatment approach has been made safer and more effective with a high-tech catheter that allows cardiologists to see inside arteries for the first time, cutting out only the diseased tissue. Interventional cardiologists at Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center at UC San Diego Health are the first in the region to use this technology.

City-sized maps of terrain and life on the sea floor have revealed that drifts of "marine snow" on submarine hillsides act as a source of food to fuel a higher biomass of marine life than on flatter plains. This finding comes from research by scientists at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) that may improve understanding of how hillside slopes and plateaus drive the distribution of marine life. The marine snow was quantified using machine vision, where an algorithm automatically detected the location and coverage in digital images.

This week's Question: According to a recent article in The Washington Post, a growing number of filmmakers, policymakers, researchers, human rights workers, and law enforcement officials are using virtual reality technology to make people feel as if they have experienced an event firsthand. Advocates say virtual reality can increase empathy, "transport" and immerse viewers within humanitarian crises around the world, and influence decision-making about issues ranging from policing to the environment. What do you think? Will virtual reality increase empathy?

This stylized illustration of a quantum bridge shows an array of holes etched in diamond with two silicon atoms placed between the holes. (Illustration courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories) By forcefully embedding two silicon atoms in a diamond matrix, Sandia researchers have demonstrated for the first time on a single chip all the components needed to create a quantum bridge to link quantum computers together.

Schematic of a transistor with a molybdenum disulfide channel and 1-nanometer carbon nanotube gate. (Credit: Sujay Desai/UC Berkeley) For more than a decade, engineers have been eyeing the finish line in the race to shrink the size of components in integrated circuits. They knew that the laws of physics had set a 5-nanometer threshold on the size of transistor gates among conventional semiconductors, about one-quarter the size of high-end 20-nanometer-gate transistors now on the market. But some laws are made to be broken, or at least challenged.

Question of the Week

This week's Question: In recent years, hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested into space ventures. SpaceX, an advanced spacecraft manufacturer founded by Elon Musk, has completed more than 30 successful launches since 2006, delivered...